Aesthetic Toilet Chair Commode Covering

ABSTRACT

A decorative and aesthetic covering for a toilet chair commode that reduces its visual signature and provides concealment of its presence. The covering comprises an upper portion that fits over and covers the hand rails of a standard toilet chair commode, along with a hinged flap that covers the toilet bowl region. The upper portion and the flap are both padded to provide comfort for a seated user, while also mimicking the look of a standard seat chair. The flap is positioned secured in a closed state via a strip of hook and loop fasteners along a first side, and is hingeably attached along a second side to provide access to the concealed toilet bowl below. A skirt attaches to the base of the upper portion to provide concealment for the base of the commode. The covering may be adorned in any color or pattern deemed suitable by the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/421,021 filed on Dec. 8, 2010, entitled “Potty Chair Covers.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to commodes and temporary toilet chairsfor hospice and long-term care environments. More specifically, thepresent invention pertains to an aesthetic covering for a toilet chairthat conceals its presence and allows it to blend in to the décor of aroom.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Toilet chair commodes are commonly used healthcare appliances that areutilized primarily in situations involving the terminally ill, theelderly or otherwise bedridden individuals who are not able to walk longdistances to a toilet or those who suffer from incontinence. Thesedevices are temporary structures that allow an individual, independentlyor with the aid of a healthcare provider, to easily access and utilize acloser appliance to relieve themselves. These devices have familiardesign elements, including a four-legged frame, arm rests and a toiletcontainer located within the interior of the frame.

Commonly, these items are used in hospice care wherein a patient is carefor at home. The device is generally are kept in close proximity to apatient's bed to allow easy access. Consequently, the commode can beconsidered unsightly and can create an atmosphere more akin to ahospital room than a warm, comforting bedroom. Many individuals areforced to use such a device, including those who suffer from terminalillnesses, old age or those who lack mobility. Their placement in plainsight can be a source of embarrassment or humiliation when visitors arewelcomed into the room. They carry a connotation of poor health and lackof independence, which can be a source of shame for the user. Thesethoughts are counter to the desired feelings of the patient, who needsto be in good spirits and have a positive outlook to maintain health.

The present invention provides a means to reduce the visual signature ofa toilet chair commode within a residential or hospital setting. Thedevice is simplistic in its construction, allowing ease of replacementand cleaning. The device is suited for covering a toilet chair toconceal its presence and promote a more aesthetically pleasingenvironment for the user and any invited guests. The cover is quicklyadaptable for accessing the covered toilet pan via a hingedly attachedflap. The top portion of the cover, along with the flap, is paddedregions that improve comfort and mimic a standard furniture chair. Askirt covers the legs of the toilet chair frame.

Several devices have been disclosed in the prior art for coveringcommodes and toilets. These devices have similar design features and acommon drawback. Most employ a large cover that is complex, and one thatis specifically designed for a floor-mounted, standard toilet andattached tank.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,375 to Prosper is one such device, wherein a commodecover is described having an annular channel member for mounting upon anupper end of a commode bowl. The cover is designed to be used inconjunction with a standard toilet bowl and rear mounted tank. The armchair houses controls for imbedded functionality, such as a speaker anda roller of sanitary paper. While this device is useful for coveringstandard, floor-mounted toilet, it is overly complex for use with amobile, healthcare commode chair as described in the present invention.The Prosper device is more suited for use in a bathroom setting, asopposed to an easily removable and cleanable cover for a toilet chair.Toilet chairs tend to become unsanitary rather quickly based on theiruse. The bowl requires removal and replenishment after each use. Forthese reasons, a commode cover for a toilet chair needs to exhibit aneasily removable, easily cleanable structure that affords a similarlevel of comfort and anonymity as a standard bedroom chair or coverthereof.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,551 to Cummings a decorative enclosure forconventional toilets that forms a utility cabinet, concealing anunderlying toilet bowl and associated tank. The structure includes anenclosure with a hinged seating portion for accessing the toilet bowlprior to use. The structure itself is adjustable to fit various sizedtoilets and includes external access to the flushing mechanism. Whilethis device provides concealment of a traditional toilet bowl structure,which includes the bowl itself and associated tank, no mention is madeof concealment of a toilet chair commode. The Cummings patent provides arather complex structure that forms a cabinet, which would be otherwisedifficult to remove or clean as often as the present invention. Theability to easily remove and replenish the present invention is vital,given its role in concealing a temporary toilet chair that may requirefrequent and rapid deployment.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,051 to Gozdziewski describes a similar device forconnection with the hinge brackets of a conventional toilet seat. Armrest supports are provided on the lateral sides of the toilet withimbedded hand grips and receptacles for trash, newspapers and magazines.Similar to the aforementioned prior art patents, the Gozdziewski patentdescribes a cover that forms over a conventional toilet and functions toimprove comfort while utilizing the facilities thereof. No mention ismade to covering a toilet chair commode for aesthetic reasons and onethat is easily adapted to use therefor.

The present invention provides a decorative cover for concealing atoilet chair commode utilized in hospitals, hospice care and in thedwellings of the terminally ill or otherwise bedridden individuals. Itsconstruction provides a padded upper region that covers the railings ofa toilet chair, a padded cushion for placement over the toilet bowlitself, and a skirted lower region for concealing the legs of the chair.Its function is both for aesthetics and for providing the same in amanner that is easily removed, replaced and cleaned after a short periodof use. The present invention substantially diverges in design elementsfrom the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need inthe art for an improvement to existing toilet chair coverings. In thisregard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types oftoilet commode coverings now present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides a new covering wherein the same can be utilized forproviding convenience for the user when improving the aesthetics of aroom by deploying a toilet chair commode and providing one that iseasily cleaned and replaced if necessary.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved commode covering that is designed for use with a toilet chaircommode, and one that has all of the advantages of the prior art andnone of the disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means ofconcealing the presence of a toilet chair commode within a room byplacing a padded covering over its structure to transform its featuresinto that of a standard piece of furniture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a covering thatincludes a padded upper region, a seat pad and a skirt lower region. Theregions may be decorated or adorned in different styles and patterns tofit the user's preferences.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toilet chaircovering that is basic in its construction to allow easy removal,cleaning and replacement if desired. The toilet chair serves a vitalhealthcare function; its covering should be easily removable, andcleanable to promote sanitation and ease of use. Complex structures andcovers would pose a problem if soiled, as these would probably requiremore intensive or expensive cleaning techniques. The present inventionprovides a washable covering with internal padding that is optionallyremovable.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The above invention will be better understood and the objects set forthabove as well as other objects not stated above will become moreapparent after a study of the following detailed description thereof.Such description makes use of the annexed drawings wherein like numeralreferences are utilized throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the toilet chair covering in itsworking position, wherein it is covering a toilet chair commode and itspadded seat region is elevated to reveal the underlying toilet bowl.

FIG. 2 shows a frontal perspective view of the present invention in itsworking position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of thepresent invention in its working position. A toilet chair coveringcomprising a padded upper region 15, a padded seat region 12 and askirted lower region 13 is shown covering the frame structure of astandard toilet chair commode. The upper region 15 provides a padded armrest that covers the arms 14 of the toilet chair around the upperperiphery of the chair. The skirted lower region 13 provides concealmentof the toilet chair legs 16, and extends from the padded upper region 15to the floor. The interior of the toilet chair contains a toilet bowl 11for use by a user. This region is covered when not in use by a hingeableseat flap 12. When in a working position, as shown in FIG. 1, the flap12 is pulled back to reveal the underlying toilet bowl 11. When not inuse, the flap 12 is laid horizontally over the toilet bowl 11 to concealits presence and provide a padded cushion for a user to sit upon. Theflap 12 is secured in a horizontal position by a strip of hook and loopfasteners along its free edge. The strip secures the free edge andprevents the flap from moving while a user is seated thereupon.

The construction of the covering may comprise a one piece or two piececonstruction, wherein the skirt region 13 is removably secured to thetoilet chair separately from the upper region 15. The pattern, color anddegree of padding used for the covering may comprise any typicalfurniture covering material system or color pattern desirable by oneskilled in the art or by the end user. This may include cotton material,linen or any other suitable outer covering material. The interiorpadding of the covering may be integral to the flap region 13 and theupper region 15, or optionally removable if desirable for improvedutility when cleaning a soiled covering.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a frontal perspective view ofthe present invention, wherein the toilet chair covering is in itsworking position. The flap region 12 is in a closed position, concealingthe underlying toilet bowl 11. In this position, the chair resembles astandard furniture chair with a padded upper region 15 for the user torest his or her arms against, and a padded cushion provided by the flap12. The legs 16 are concealed using a skirt that extends from the upperregion 15 and reaches down to the floor.

Overall, the covering provides a means to maintain a warming atmospherein a room wherein a hospital or hospice style toilet chair is maintainedfor an ill or bed ridden patient. The covering provides the patient withrelief from having the toilet chair in constant vision, and elevatesanxiety tied to its presence in company of others. These types of chairsare often kept in plain sight, as they can be difficult to otherwisestow or store. This may cause feelings of embarrassment and humiliationfor these patients, as toilet chairs may be associated with lack ofindependence or incontinence. The present invention provides a devicefor suffering individuals who desire to restore any lost senses ofdignity that comes about through the presence of a toilet chair commode.The coverings described and taught by the present invention provide ameans of concealing or dressing these articles for that very purpose.

In use, and individual would drape the covering over the toilet chairwhen the toilet bowl lid is in a closed position. The skirt may beconstructed independently of the upper region, or likewise they may beprovided in a one-piece construction if desired. The padded upper regionfits over the railings of the toilet chair, while the padded seatcushion flap conceals the toilet bowl. The skirt is unruffled andsuspended over the legs of the toilet chair for concealment thereof. Intotal, the regions of the covering provide complete concealment of thetoilet chair, and improve the aesthesis and décor of a room over thepresence of an unconcealed toilet chair.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

1. A toilet chair commode covering, comprising: an upper material regionadapted to conform to a standard toilet chair commode hand rail; a flapregion hingedly attached along one edge to said upper material region,and fastenable to said upper material region at an opposite edge; saidflap region adapted to conceal an underlying toilet bowl of a standardtoilet chair when in a closed position, and provide access to saidtoilet bowl when in an open position; a skirted lower region extendingfrom said upper material region to a floor surface, adapted to conceal asaid standard toilet chair commode legs.
 2. A device as in claim 1,wherein said upper material region and said skirted lower regioncomprise a connected, one-piece construction.
 3. A device as in claim 1,wherein said upper material region and said skirted lower regioncomprise a two-piece construction and are separable.
 4. A device as inclaim 1, wherein said upper material region comprises imbedded padding.5. A device as in claim 4, wherein said imbedded padding is removablesaid material upper region further comprises access for removing saidpadding
 6. A device as in claim 1, wherein said flap fastening meanscomprises a hook and loop fastening.